Oral hygiene products have been in use for centuries. The most common of these products, toothpaste, typically consists of a mild abrasive dispersed in a gel or paste base, with detergents added to aid in cleaning, and fluoride added to reduce tooth decay. Nutritional supplements have been in use for less than a century and typically are supplied in forms to be swallowed and digested for subsequent dispersal throughout the body. Over the past one hundred and fifty years certain medications have been formulated to be absorbed directly through the mucus membranes of the mouth. Building on the evidence of high absorbability of medications through the lining of the mouth, nutritional supplements are also now recognized to be able to be absorbed in this way. Further, homeopathic remedies have, since their inception, been routinely administered via this route.
Although oral hygiene products presently on the market adequately address the need for cleaning the teeth and administering fluoride, no existing product takes full advantage of the ability of such a product to deliver to the oral cavity such nutrients and homeopathic remedies as would most benefit those individuals suffering from gum disease and tooth decay. It is well recognized that certain nutritional supplements are essential in reducing host susceptibility to chronic disease in the mouth.
Accordingly it would be desirable to provide a particular formulation of nutrients, including not only the more commonly used vitamins and minerals, but also including beneficial herbal ingredients as well as homeopathics, that act together to reduce and prevent major chronic diseases of the mouth.
Secondly, it would be desirable to provide such a formulation in a form directly absorbable through the mouth without need of assimilation through the digestive system.
Thirdly, it would be desirable to combine this formulation into carriers in common use, such as toothpaste, mouthwash, or chewing gum, so that individuals can gain the advantage of use without the need for taking a pill. Fourthly, it would be desirable to combine this information into carriers commonly used in the environment of the dental office, carriers such as dental prophylaxis paste, oral subgingival irrigation fluid, or biologically absorbable or nonresorbable fiber matrices, so that the benefits of these key, orally absorbable nutrients, homeopathic remedies, and immune system stimulators can become part of the existing armamentarium of dentists and dental hygienists.